1. Technical Field
The invention relates to an absorbent article with a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction, comprising a liquid-permeable cover sheet, a liquid-tight cover sheet, and an absorption body enclosed between the cover sheets, and having two side edges extending in the longitudinal direction and two end edges extending in the transverse direction, which article comprises a waist belt formed by at least one material layer and arranged substantially parallel to an end edge of the article, and having members for fastening the waist belt around a user's waist, and the article comprises members for fastening the article into a shape similar to underpants.
2. Description of Related Art
It has become increasingly common for diapers and incontinence pads, for example, of the type which are fastened together during use so that the diaper or incontinence pad encloses the user's pelvic area in the manner of absorbent underpants, to be provided with fastening arrangements of the hook-and-loop type. Such a fastening arrangement comprises a fastening member having a surface provided with loop-elements and designed to cooperate with a fastening member having a surface provided with hooks or hook-like projections, which can hook securely on the surface provided with loop-elements.
The fastening members of the loop type that have been available to date generally consist of a laminate of a carrier material, such as a plastic film or a nonwoven material, and a loop material, such as a loosely knitted or woven textile material or a loosely bonded nonwoven material. However, a disadvantage of fastening members comprising a plastic layer is that they are not permeable to air and vapor, which means that an absorbent article provided with such a fastening member can be unnecessarily airtight and uncomfortable to wear. This is particularly so in absorbent articles of the belt type, i.e., articles which are held by a belt which is secured around the user's waist. Such an article is advantageously provided with a belt of loop material, which makes it possible to adjust its size. It is desirable, in this case, that the belt material is smooth, soft and comfortable against the user's skin, that it does not have sharp or hard edges that can chafe the skin, and also that the belt material has a certain breathability and is able to let body moisture and air pass through. It is also desirable for the loop material to be inexpensive so that it can be used for disposable absorbent articles, i.e., those articles that are discarded after a single use and are not washed or reused.